Obama team attacks Romney on Lilly Ledbetter law

In this Jan. 22, 2009 file photo Lilly Ledbetter, an Alabama Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. worker, speaks during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington.

/ AP PHOTO

Updated at 2 p.m. ET

President Obama's re-election campaign on Wednesday showed its hand relating to Mitt Romney's weakness with women voters: Exploit it at every chance. When the Romney campaign did not immediately express support for a 2009 law making it easier for women to file lawsuits to combat discriminatory pay, the Obama campaign pounced.

Mr. Obama's team widely distributed out a statement from the law's namesake, Lilly Ledbetter, slamming the presumptive Republican nominee for the hesitation from one of his staffers.

"I was shocked and disappointed to hear that Mitt Romney is not willing to stand up for women and their families," she said. "If he is truly concerned about women in this economy, he wouldn't have to take time to 'think' about whether he supports the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act." The bill was the first piece of legislation Mr. Obama signed into law as president.

The controversy started after a conference call the Romney team hosted on the topic of "the Obama economy," when a Huffington Post reporter asked about Romney's stance on the law, and a policy adviser responded, "We'll get back to you on that."

Amanda Henneberg, a spokesman for the Romney campaign subsequently released a statement saying, "Of course Mitt Romney supports pay equity for women."

"The real question is whether President Obama supports jobs for women," she added, charging charging that women have suffered disproportionately from the stalled economy during the Obama administration.

The Romney campaign is starting to fight back against the argument that Mr. Obama is a better advocate for women's interests. As Democrats charge that Republicans are waging a "war on women," the president has in recent days touted the policies he's supported to help women.

The Romney campaign today released to reporters a series of statements from female members of Congress, charging that Mr. Obama's economic policies have failed women.

"For more than three years, President Obama's disastrous economic policies have wreaked havoc on women in the workplace with record levels of unemployment and the highest poverty rate in nearly two decades," Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Wash., said. "Mitt Romney supports pay equity for women and, as president, will do what President Obama has not - implement pro-growth economic policies that will allow women and all Americans to finally get back to work."

Rep. Mary Bono Mack, R-Calif., similarly said, "Barack Obama talks a good game on women in the economy, but the facts don't back him up."

Polls indicate that winning female support will be a significant hurdle for Romney -- a recent USA Today/Gallup poll showed that women in 12 top battleground states favor the president by 18 points when matched up against Romney.

31 Photos

GOP candidates on the trail

[purplestates]

Mitt Romney called Scott Walker a "hero" who signed the repeal of a 2009 law allowing the victims of wage discrimination to pursue damages in state court, which is generally easier than filing a federal complaint. The principal reason for the original law was to narrow a significant gap in compensation between men and women. At the time the law was passed, women earned an average of 75 cents for every $1 men earned; by 2010, after the law was passed, the average for women had edged up to about 78 cents.

Mitt Romney Endorses Pete Hoekstra for Governor. A man who called Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act a "nuisance." Mitt event said that he's proud of Pete.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=cMhzFDzbVgs


Rep. Mary Bono Mack voted vs. the Lilly Ledbetter Act. Unfortunately, fact doesn't back her up. See voting record link how many GOP like her voted vs. the bill.
http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=111&session=1&vote=00014

Is Mitt Romney policy and people he endorsed vs. women? YES !!

[Americas-Conscience]

President Obama's re-election campaign on Wednesday showed its hand relating to Mitt Romney's weakness with women voters: Exploit it at every chance. When the Romney campaign did not immediately express support for a 2009 law making it easier for women to file lawsuits to combat discriminatory pay, the Obama campaign pounced.


What a weak and desperate claim Obama is grasping at.
So Romney was supposed to "immediately express support for the law "Obama" signed?

With Obama's record of deception you have to be careful before you "immediately" support anything he is in favor of
You always have to search for the fine print that reads, "Marxist socialism" bill.

This sure isn't no smoking gun to support Obama's Big Lie on the WAR on women.

[purplestates]

Mitt is DOWN BY 18 POINTS OR MORE with women vote. This is clearly desperate to use his wife to stir up women, instead of changing his policy.

[Maerzie]

Well, Mary Bono, where are your "FACTS"? You talk just like a Republican; all criticism and no facts. Republicans are good at criticism, but they play dead in Congress and rarely pass anything that Obama has tried to get done. It's
so easy to say no, and then claim "the president" isn't doing anything. The Republican majority Congress outright BLOCKED Obama's Jobs Bill. They know they can't win, so they play dirty! The Republicans are desperate, and they expect the Democrats to be stupid and believe their propaganda! No way, Karl! Try again!

[RealWorldNow]

How many votes did Obamas budget get??

[purplestates]

Mary Bono voted vs. Lilly Ledbetter Act. There is no fact.

[sooner_schooner]

So, Romney wanted to review the bill before he reached an opinion on it, and Obama is criticizing him for it?
How childish. How Barack, remember that 2,000 page health care pile of garbage you shoved down our throats before you or anyone else had a chance to read it? How's that one working out for you these days?

[RealWorldNow]

And what was Romney to do, he didn't hold any office to support or not support his bill. Pure political theater. Then again, he can't go back and review his fiscal policies that did not fulfill his campaign promises.

[franknkissy]

We wish CBS would have explained the details of the Lilly Ledbetter Law better ! Certainly - whether man or woman , equal pay for actual equal work should be the norm ! As should some equality between men and women in College admissions be addressed !

[purplestates]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tMxsYqaFwA0
Faces of Change: Lilly Ledbetter's Equal Pay Story

[kenkatzen]

The President's 2008 campaign meaning of "Hope and Change":

War on American taxpayers
War on class
War on women
War on religious freedom
War on healthcare
War on energy
War on the supreme court
War on the economy
War on Afghanistan

President Obama's campaign slogan for 2012: "If I can SPIN IT, I can WIN IT"

[RealWorldNow]

Nice!

[donnalee64]

Want to get a Real handle on Romney and his views? Go to wikipedia and look up Hitler/laws. It's a real eye-opener. The war is not only on women it's on every citizen that doesn't belong to the 1%. This man slips and tells the truth about his views--on occasion.Want to live in the new nazi Germany? Elect this nut.

[RealWorldNow]

Really?

[TimeToEvolve]

It's pretty obvious conservatives and Republicons don't like women because they feel they are stronger and men must decide everything ultimately.

But since there seem to be some many people, including women believe it or not, who are in denial about this, it is worth proving it to the world. Again and again and again...

[RealWorldNow]

"But since there seem to be some many people"

What ??????? Time to what???

[Obama4more]

Romney: "I grew up with Lilly Ledbetter, she's just the right height. My wife Ann and her get together on weekends and make cheesy grits. I love cheesy grits, yalllllllllllllllll...I put honey on mine."

[Obama4more]

I think if Mittens can just get a few more women to appear with him on camera...and if he tells folks that he has a lot of friends that are women, he should be able to capture 100% of the women's vote...after all, women are SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO gullible!!!!!!!!!!!!!

XOXO, RNC